I'm writing today, but had to cut this out of the book because it just didn't fit. Yet, I liked the premise so much that I couldn't stand to leave it on the cutting room floor. So I added a bit to the thought and posted it here for you to ponder.
Ponder away.
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Why did God give us the gift of forgiveness?
Without consulting my Bible for a verse, and basically throwing an idea to the wind, I think He knew we were going to stray and make big mistakes and feel incredibly guilty and He wanted to extend grace.
Forgiveness allows us to completely blow it, fall flat on our faces, yet get a chance to try again.
And the biggest beauty of the gift? There is no end to forgiveness. It is infinite. Isn’t that astounding?
Psalm 103:12 tells us “As far as east is from west— that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.”
When we repent, we are forgiven, period. The memory of our sin? Gone from God’s mind.
God grants us a pardon, if we ask and are truly repentant. In return, He asks that we extend the same grace to others.
In fact, we are called to forgive as we are forgiven in the great Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Yet, how many people do you know who won’t forgive others?
How many people do you know who won’t forgive themselves?
How many people do you know who won’t forgive GOD?
What is holding us back? Pride, jealously, bitterness? Anger, hurt, idolatry?
Why do we fail to understand that these things are not Christlike? Why do we fail to see that handing these things back to the world and embracing forgiveness is a path to peace?
Oh, that today would be the day we would embrace His gifts and live the extravagant life He has planned for each of us!
Great questions, MommaJ! These are some of the same ones I have been pondering as of late. If we distill them down to one: what is holding people (the 99% of people who won't forgive something) from forgiving?
ReplyDelete--fear of confrontation
--fear of admitting they were wrong too
--fear of giving up control -- of themselves and the person who wronged them
--fear that justice will not prevail
--fear of opening themselves up
--fear of rejection
--fear of having to move on with that relationship after forgiveness
In short, fear. Humans are strangely comfortable in the fear they know vs that which they don't.
Yet, fear is not from God. Fear is a stronghold of Satan.
ReplyDeleteWhen we recognize that, we learn their is freedom in forgiveness.